One Step Closer

"Chess! Wait up, please!" I shouted to the giant cat's retreating form. I collapsed onto the damp ground, not even caring if Chess had heard me. I had been sprinting after his vanishing form for nearly a half an hour, before using all of my energy. He would appear in one place, and when I had finally managed to reach that part, Chess had managed to disappear to the tree thirty feet away. So exhausting.

Dinah mewed tiredly a good five feet away from me, and continued to hobble over to me. I had been so caught up with actually catching up to Chess, that I had forgotten about Dinah.

"I am so sorry Dinah…" I mumbled weakly, when she had finally reached me. I scratched her behind her ears, hoping she would forgive me later.

"Well? Are you coming Alice?" Chess's head appeared by the next tree, which was a good five feet away from where I had stopped moving.

"I'll find my own way to the Hatter, Chess." I complained to the floating head, finding comfort in the moist dirt to my aching muscles. Even though I could believe in impossible things, keeping up with Chess was surely not one of them. I could feel my eyes starting to drift shut, but before I could gain relief from this gesture, a surprisingly heavy thing plopped into my lap. Startled, I glance down to see Chess comfortably sprawled out on my lap.

"I remember when you were seven, Alice. You were lost, and alone on this very path, and you were so upset until I showed you a short cut to get to where you wanted to go. Do you remember, Alice?" Chess smiles up at me, obviously pleased at the recollection.

"Of course I do, Chess." I smile fondly down at him. "But I suppose you wouldn't have any short cut to get to the Hatter, would you?" I straightforwardly ask him, ignoring Dinah's weak protest from my side.

"Always to the point you are, dear Alice." Chess sighs, and quickly floats away from me into the air around me. "But unfortunately, I do not. If you want to see the Hatter, you must take the slow path." As if to accentuate his comment, Chess slowly floats towards the nearest tree in the forest. I sigh, same old Chess. Though it really shouldn't surprise me by this point.

Reluctantly, I lifted myself off of the cool ground, and slowly but surely, continued to walk forwards. Only a few more steps, at least I wished for that many, till I was able to see Tarrant again. What a peculiar thing, to willingly choose to stay away from him for two years. I shook it off, focusing on the past was not helpful, and I just needed to stay focused on the present. On being able to feel at home without a worry about public appearance and familiarize once more with Underland.

I suddenly remembered that I didn't know where Dinah was. I was just so used to looking after myself when I was here, that I had forgotten about looking after Dinah while lost in my thoughts. But after frantically searching up and down around the trees, I found that I hadn't needed to worry: Chess was giving her a ride on his invisible back. And boy, do they certainly look cozy together.

"Chess?" I murmured, quiet as I've ever been. Chess turned his head back, obviously a little annoyed that I had interrupted his silent conversation with Dinah. "How… How has the Hatter been, since I've left?" I shyly looked away from his eyes, not quite sure what I was expecting to hear. What I did or did not want to know. I clasped my hands behind my back, and fiddled my thumbs.

Silence greets me. I glanced up to see that now Chess is avoiding my eyes at any costs. Something inside me tells me that this is not a topic he had been expecting to hear from me. Well, it should have been obvious.

"Chess? Tell me." I order in a louder voice, focusing my eyes into a well trained glare.

"You want the truth, Alice?" He waits for my nod of confirmation. "I never get involved in others' relationships." He grins widely and continues to float forward above the path. My mouth slightly falls open in disbelief at this and for a second I'm dumbfounded. I become still as I wait for Chess to say more, he always does.

"Truth be told, I love involving myself with these kinds of things." He smirked deviously, and started to float around my head in circles, threatening to make me completely dizzy. "If you want to know more, just continue to follow me dear Alice."

With that, Chess and Dinah made their way deeper into the forest without a glance back, weaving a complicated path that almost made me want to stay behind and find my own way to the Hatter. Tempting, but memories of emerald eyes looking at me lovingly sealed the deal for me.

"Wait up you two!" I called to their backs, and pushed my legs to chase after them. I was desperate to learn all I could about the Hatter and what he had been up to during my years of absence.

If only I had been a little more hesitant, a tad more reluctant, maybe what had happened next wouldn't have happened.


A/N: Sorry it's so short guys! But next chapter will be the usual length, guarenteed! :) Hope you guys liked this chapter anyways & I hope you're all having good weeks!